Southern States - Karnataka

ZP member arrested, murder case solved

By Our Staff Correspondent

Bidar April 8. The Bidar District Police on Monday claimed to have solved the gruesome kidnap and murder of a hotel owner, Balaji, with the arrest of a zilla panchayat member, Hanumanth Lodha (Congress), and an accomplice here.

The Superintendent of Police, B.K.Singh, told presspersons here that the police were on the lookout for six more persons who were involved in the murder. Balaji was running a hotel at Lodha Cross in Aurad taluk, and the motive for the kidnap and murder was said to be the illicit relationship between the victim's wife and Lodha.

Mr. Singh said Lodha and his accomplices kidnapped Balaji on December 27 on Janawada Road near Bidar city and murdered him the same day. The kidnappers took the body to an isolated spot on Hyderabad-Mumbai National Highway and dumped it between Aliabad and Turkapalli villages coming under the Nadachal Police limits in Rangareddy District of Andhra Pradesh.

He said the Andhra Pradesh Police recovered the body three days after the incident and buried it (as there was no claim to it) after post mortem. The Nadachal Police had registered a case of unnatural death.

Based on the information provided by the arrested persons, Mr. Singh said a team of police officials, along with the mother of Balaji, visited Nadachal Police Station and identified Balaji through a photograph. Nadachal Police had also recovered a pair of shoes belonging to Balaji.

He said police were investigating whether the wife of the victim was involved in the murder. A search was on for the six others, including the driver of the vehicle, Dattu, and Dhanraj.

Mr. Lodha was elected from Santpur Constituency. The murder of Balaji had created a furore in the district with the Yuva Morcha of the BJP and other political parties making it an issue. The District Police had constituted a special team to investigate the case. The arrested were produced before a magistrate who remanded them in judicial custody till April 19.

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